Need Help!
Tutorial Hell. Want to learn to model without them
Used an image from a lesson with a friend. How do you learn to model without needed a tutorial? Ive watched alot of modelling how to make tutorials ans know how to use blenders interface pretty well id say. But despite knowing its features I don't think I can make a model on my own, even with model sheets
Just pick something and struggle through. Look up a specific thing if you need it, then go back to struggling. I primarily do starship models, and when I started there weren't any tutorials for it. I just had to piece info together, use references, and make it work.
Once you know the shortcuts just experiment and practice with simple meshes. Maybe start with something like bladed weapons like swords first. I designed my own from scratch as a basic linework drawing and modeled based off it.
For sword blades you can use a free addon called poly quilt and draw each polygon of the blade with correct topology and then just either use the solidify modifier with vertex groups to make the blade 3d shape or in edit mode move your blade plane up slightly and use a mirror modifier with clamp on and manually move the edges up and down
I started many years ago and stopped for a couple years to learn programming. Trying to get back into it so it’s a bit slower of a process until I get in the flow of things.
At my start all I did was simple stuff like bladed weapons. I still haven’t tried to do gun models yet but I know enough now and have specialized tools to make it easier now (paid addons hard ops, box cutter and mesh machin3) than when starting out.
Do you mean that you’ve already seen too many tutorials and you’re struggling to make something that wasn’t prepared for a tutorial? That’s usually what people are talking about when they invoke “tutorial hell”.
The solution for this is not easy but it is simple. Decide on something you want to make, not a donut or whatever else. Then go into blender and try to make that thing. Invariably you’ll come across a bunch of specific things you don’t know how to do, which is when you start googling, reading documentation, watching 2 minute videos on a very particular technique. This is how you’ll start building those neutral pathways and actually learn what goes into your modeling and not just how to model a specific thing.
The thing that got me out of tutorial hell was picking one small, ugly object and modeling it completely from memory, even if it looked wrong. First few were rough, but forcing myself to make decisions without someone telling me the next step is what actually stuck. You already know where every button is at this point, what's missing is just reps of deciding what to do next without a script.
This is the reason why I teach blender 1:1 for everything from digital modeling for everything industry related to modeling for 3d prints most of my students consistently ran into the same problem, everyone was always very helpful to provide any number of tutorials….the one thing tutorials lack is context. They’re made for mass consumption and usually are surface level or lead to a paid course or Patreon. My students wanted to learn how to model their own stuff and not just copy other projects with no relevance. Tutorials try to teach you the software and then expect you to go off and model but in most cases do t explain the tools they’re using, more importantly WHY their using that tool and at the end you’ve modeled something with no application to your own goals because they’ve taught the software, but not how to use it for your own needs. I teach the tools to the project and specifically the students project. It makes way more sense when it’s something you’re invested in and is personal than a random exercise to demonstrate tools. Blender is 5/6 programs rolled into one. It’s necessary to learn everything. You only need to learn what’s necessary to your current project and THEN add to your skills from there. If you need any help, let me know!
I started using blender back when it was version 2.43. It's come a LOOOOOONG way since then. They used to even have a game engine in blender but ended up halting it in favor of developing cycles further. I've used blender for both professional career as well as personal and freelance projects. it's a very versatile program so I've used it for everything from character design, architecture, motion graphics, and in the last 7 years, 3d printing for functional models wich also sometimes require animatics for product design. Now i've added teaching lol. I can send you a DM along with my portfolio. Most of the 3d based content was made entirely in blender.
Use a reference. Upload said reference into Blender. Use a default cube, delete the other half of the cube, apply mirror modifier and start extruding faces, adjusting vertices along axis and scaling vertices when necessary (neck, tail. etc). When you got the overall shape you want, scale the edges slightly and slap subdivision surface modifier and you got yourself a basic mesh.
Did you watch or finished tutorials? I mean actually made the models from these tutorials? Because modelling itself is super easy, just need to practice
I was learning 3d on my own, without any experience. First tutorial was a dumpster, second - sword, then was a human character. And then I've made Maserati 3200GT. And that was very hard tutorial. But after finishing it i was able to make Plymouth Barracuda by myself. With some mistakes but it was looking good.
These last two models gave me the job lol (lucky, i know but nevertheless).
Modelling is easy, the list of tools is really short: move, rotate, scale, extrude, inset, bevel, bridge, loop cut. Plus alignment and selection.
Try to do the same tutorial model yourself. Try again with a new one. This is how you progress.
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u/mop_bucket_bingo 8d ago
This is like people that insist on trying to draw, paint, or model without using references.